Compiled by Jasper Baumann and Tess Connery

Putting bat to ball with LiSTNR’s Willow Talk

It’s a good time to be a fan of Australian cricket with the Aussies taking home the first Ashes test victory, and starting strong in Lord’s. It’s also a very good time to be recording a podcast about cricket – which is exactly what the team behind LiSTNR’s Willow Talk have been up to.

Podcast Week’s Tess Connery spoke to Brad Haddin and Adam Peacock, hosts of Willow Talk, jumping on the phone with them the morning after Australia claimed its dramatic victory in the first Ashes test.

Before we get into it – how good was the First Test win?!

Peacock: “It’s going to be one of the test matches we talk about for years. We talk about 2005, Michael Kasprowicz and Brett Lee were batting, and they fell a couple of runs short – we’re going to be talking about this one for the same amount of time. But in this light, it’s going to be a win for Australia.

“To put on 55 under pressure like that make can break the opposition. It’s going to be interesting now how England responds.”

Haddin: “England deserves a stack of credit, and so does Australia, because they didn’t change styles. The two different styles of approach made the test match what it was – it had every single ingredient you could hope from a sporting contest. If we get four more of those, we’re going to be talking about this for the next millennium, not just a couple of years.”

You’ve been recording daily episodes for The Ashes. What’s it been like moving from weekly to daily episodes?

Peacock: “Especially with such a marquee event like the Ashes – we did something similar with the 2020 World Cup – you want to give everyone an insight into what happened straight away while it’s all raw to everyone. It’s enjoyable. The hours are different, but it makes your watch pretty closely what’s going on.

“We want to hit the commute. We want to hit the people when they’re getting into a bus or a train or their cars at 6:30am onwards. It’s the best way of doing it.”

Haddin: “The only scary thing about that is our captain Sam, our producer, he’s got horrible bed attire. To watch him over Zoom, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone!”

You’ve got an impressive lineup of guests that swing by the podcast. What are you looking for when asking someone to join you on Willow Talk?

Peacock: “Stories. With a relevant topic, there’s always generally something similar that has happened before in cricket and there’s a great story attached to it. Cricket is a great storytelling sport because there are so many characters involved, so many great moments – many not-so-great moments, but they’re all worth having a laugh about. In the end, it’s sport. It’s not life or death – even though the bloke next to me treated it like it was when he was playing! But there are just so many stories that are worth touching on.”

Haddin: “There are some really good people around the game of cricket, there are some really good characters. When you’re away with each other, whether you’re reporting on the game or playing for a good part of 300 days in the year, you find some really good anecdotes that haven’t been told to the public. That’s the stuff that I think needs to get out there so that people can understand the human side of these players.”

How does podcasting stack up as a medium to cover sports?

Peacock: “I love it. I cut across a few different mediums, be it television or the written word stuff, but podcasting is so enjoyable. You have some parameters, but there are no hard and strict rules apart from the fact that you want to hit a certain time, because people are listening in their spare time. For a sporting podcast, you don’t really want to be touching over 40 or 45 minutes because that’s stretching it beyond the usual commute. The elements inside that though, there are no rules. 

Haddin: I think the best part about it is the storytelling, and the opportunity to tell a story. And Adam has a funny way of getting the wrong stuff out of me!

What do you hope listeners get out of Willow Talk?

Haddin: Enjoyment. I hope they enjoy our stories, and maybe get a little bit of an insight into the world of cricket that they hadn’t already had.

Peacock: I’ve got a great seat, because sitting next to this guy, he sees things on a cricket field that is pretty hard to pick up for the average punter. I’ve sat next to him calling television, and three balls in advance he’ll say ‘This bloke is too far in, and he’s going to get found out here’. Invariably, three balls later it happens. Hopefully, for people who love their cricket and want to understand it a bit more, it helps them in that regard.

[Listen to Willow Talk here]

Stuff The British Stole with Marc Fennell returns for Season 3

Stuff The British Stole returns for the first time since 2021 with 6 episodes that will take listeners from a crypt in Windsor Castle to the streets of Barbados. 

Listeners can also expect a mystery in the library of Grafton High School and an ancient manuscript that holds a mathematical discovery. One of the episodes includes a visit to the top of the Andes mountains all the way to alleyway gin bars. 

It may also make you watch a certain Disney movie very differently. 

[Listen to Stuff The British Stole here]

Nine Podcasts record largest monthly audience for May with 1.7 million listeners

The Nine Podcast network has announced a new record-high monthly audience of 1.7 million listeners for May 2023. 

The popular catch-up podcasts of Nine’s talk stations: 2GB, 3AW, 4BC and 6PR, have seen a surge in demand, recording a 51% YoY growth. This upswing was driven by a rise in listenership across key Breakfast, Mornings, Drive, and Sport programming.

Nine’s original podcasts also saw a 19% uplift in key categories of News, Sport, and Business, as well as strong growth in Investigative Journalism. 

The investigative podcast, Hannah’s Story, examines the shocking story of the murder of Hannah Clarke and her three young children. Listeners have tuned in to hear more about coercive control – from the relationship, to the crime, through to the coronial inquest. The podcast has received more than 600,000 downloads since launching in May (as of June 23), and was the number one ranked show on both Apple and Spotify’s podcast charts. 

[Read more]

The podcast is strategically released just in time for the school holidays and is designed to be a companion for families on road trips. 

“We launch for the school holidays – so the timing’s perfect for families road tripping to somewhere special. It’ll be eyes up and looking out the window, enjoying the drive together while learning some great stuff. And, best of all, it’s fun.”

[Listen to The Great Australian Detour Kids’ Cast here]

Nine Podcasts announce I Just Can’t with SJ and Rach

Nine Podcasts have announced I Just Can’t with SJ and Rach known from the 18th season of The Block: Tree Change. 

The podcast explores the rollercoaster of life including marriage, motherhood and melodramatic reality TV that often can lead to the phrase “I just can’t”. 

From mum decisions and shaming, the truth about married life and weirdest husband hobbies plus more, SJ and Rachel keep it real one the new show with their quick wit and trademark humour. 

[Listen to I Just Can’t here]

Acast expands self-serve podcast advertising platform with host-read sponsorships

Acast has announced the launch of host-read sponsorships on its self-serve podcast advertising platform. Now, any advertiser globally can book sponsorship campaigns read by podcast hosts themselves across the entire Acast Marketplace using the self-serve platform.

The news makes Acast the largest podcast network to offer an option for self-service browsing of podcast sponsorships. Additionally, it enables advertisers to use the self-serve platform to buy sponsorships from across Acast’s Marketplace – including titles such as Equity Mates Investing, Australian True Crime,  WTF with Marc Maron, Sh**ged, Married, Annoyed, The Higher Ground Network, and more.

Traditionally, podcast sponsorships have been bought manually through an ad sales representative or through the podcaster directly. Acast’s self-serve advertising platform introduces automation into the discovery and buying processes to help media buyers make more efficient and accurate investments in podcasting.

By leveraging AI, the platform also enables advertisers to discover podcasts they may never have considered before, effectively reducing bias in media buying and enabling advertisers to connect with relevant audiences for their message and budget.

[Read more]

The Mediaweek Academy held its fifth session at News Corp’s office in Surry Hills on Wednesday, June 28. 

Attendees returned to the session focused on listening skills, led by facilitator Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham, Mediaweek’s contributing editor and MFA Hall of Famer. 

Accompanying Sparrow on the panel was Legend author Oscar Trimboli who is an Apple award-winning podcast host and Superstar Bare Feat founder Chloe Hooper. 

See also: Mediaweek Academy Superstar Chloe Hooper reflects on striking it out on her own and starting Bare Feat
See also: Mediaweek Academy Legend Oscar Trimboli reveals his surprising piece of career advice

Hooper said during the session that she thinks the industry is seeing a shift towards what leadership looks like.

“So there’s the look and feel of what traditional leadership looks like and that is quite authority driven. I think that we’re moving to a world where trust, authenticity and empathy are going to be leading the way and listening is the inner heart of those skills. If you can’t listen, you can’t do any of those things and that is the core of what leadership needs to be,” she said. 

Hooper also touched on the notion of listening to understand and not listening to respond. 

“In specific moments, yes, we need to turn our phones off, yes, we need to do those types of things and remind ourselves to be present, because otherwise I’m not going to hear what they’re saying, and all I’m going to think about is what I want to say next.”

Trimboli expressed that he actually has three songs that he listens to in order to stay listening and attentive and all songs are at three completely different tempos. 

Sparrow shared that he finds it hard to sit still so he stretches and moves in order to stay listening and focused. 

Holly Langford, account executive from This Is Flow found the session interesting as it made her think about listening in the sense of how it affects not only herself but also other people. She also said that the session motivated her to be a better listener and she plans to use the tips discussed in order to remain engaged. 

“Something that resonated with me from the session was to be less self-conscious about how you might come across while listening. Everyone listens differently and acts differently, so doing what’s best for you without being conscious of how other people are going to take it really stuck with me,” she said.

Fellow account executive from This Is Flow, Nicole Blessing said she found the session truly insightful and expressed that it was her favourite session so far because of the interactive elements that provided incredible insights.

“After the session, I think what I’ll implement in my own work is switching off distractions such as emails, teams notifications and also silencing my phone while in meetings etc. Also, just drinking water or giving myself breaks in order to stay present and engaged,” she said.

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Top Image: Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham, Chloe Hooper and Oscar Trimboli

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has wrapped up for 2023, with the event having brought together those that work in creative communications and advertising from every corner of the planet. 

Mediaweek has been on location in the South of France, and spoke to some of the most influential people in both Australian and global media. Today is Paul Blackburn, director commercial data, video and product for News Corp Australia.

News Corp in Cannes

It’s been an important business trip for the News Corp team, and at a particularly crucial time. Blackburn describes the current retail media landscape as “an arms race,” with News Corp Australia making its presence felt amongst it all.   

“It’s important to be here, because we think have a really good play in this space. We’ve been able to convert all of our engagement and our content into commerce outcomes without having to click off to another page.

“Everyone who’s everyone is here from across the world to share ideas. It’s very validating to see that we are innovating ahead of the curve in Australia.”

Australia is a big player on the world stage, but there’s no denying that it’s a big trip for those Down Under. For Blackburn, the fact that it’s a long trip is just another reason why flying to France is worth it. 

“Being able to make those connections, meet other people, find other ways to iterate our product with different ad tech vendors – you just can’t get that kind of traction from Australia. So many of these big companies are based in America or overseas, and video chat is just not the same as sitting down one on one, really hearing and listening to each other.”

Australia’s presence on the world stage has also been front and centre at Cannes, with Blackburn saying that “it’s been really good to see that we are on top of things” when compared to the rest of the world.

“What I’ve also found really interesting is just the scale of our business in Australia. I’ve been speaking to a lot of other publishers over here – we spoke to a Spanish publisher, we spoke to an Indian publisher, and they all have the same challenges that we do. But they don’t have the same scale of brands and as strong a network as we do. 

“On the Ipsos numbers, in terms of scale there’s Google, there’s Meta, there’s Microsoft, and then there’s us. That is so important and valuable, that audience is everything.”

When asked what his biggest takeaway from the festival has been, Blackburn says that it has been validation – “we’re on the right track.”

“Everyone is trying to solve shoppable media, all the ad tech vendors are not quite there yet. We came over with our commerce supplier, Vudoo, and they are really innovating ahead of the market. 

“We know we’re on the right track, everyone we’ve spoken to over here is saying ‘wow, you’ve got something’. It’s not often I suppose that News Corp Australia innovates technology in the ad tech space, and when you’re on the pointy end, we know sometimes the take-up isn’t as fast as you’d like. It doesn’t become a multi-million dollar play overnight, so it’s hard to see if it’s going to pay off. I think we’re on the verge of something really special, and now is the time to strike.”

News Corp D_Coded

In March, News Corp Australia held its annual D_Coded event, lifting the lid on some of the biggest innovations the company has been working on in the 12 months prior.

“We made some really bold announcements, we bought our product and capability a long way,” Blackburn says of the 2023 event. “We were focusing on finding consumers that are in the market to buy now, to see the content they’re consuming, as well as segment them and activate against them. “

With other players in the market now turning their attention to topics that News Corp Australia has already covered, Blackburn returns to his point about being assured that they’re on the right track.

“Walmart has their Walmart Connect data platform. They were talking about how they have 150 million individual shoppers each week and the power of understanding SKU-level purchase data – which is what we were talking about at D_Coded. 

“With such a big business like Walmart saying the same things as us and building a Walmart Connect data platform that is very similar to ours, I felt like we were ahead of where they’re at, which was really exciting.”

With so much focus on finding high-intent audiences, shoppable video to activate against those audiences, and News Corp’s content proposition, Blackburn says that the work unveiled at this year’s D_Coded will work together to make life easier for marketers.

“There’s Amazon, Cartology, Coles 360, all these amazing retail media networks are very closed loop – that’s going to create some fragmentation for marketers, because you’re going to have to work with each of them individually. For me, content commerce – which is the space that we’re operating in – is the way to avoid that fragmentation for marketers, so we can open the loops. 

“Our native proposition, vertical video, and shoppable video as the as the way to engage with audiences even in those retail media networks, that is where I think we’re leading the way.”

Looking Ahead

When asked what the future holds for the News Corp team, Blackburn says that people can expect “a lot more video.”

“We’ve shown a lot of other digital publishers our vertical video player and how we’re leaning into the video itself being a first class asset – meaning that instead of writing a long-form story on the web and then putting a video in, the video is the story. It’s full-screen mobile, and so much more engaging. That’s where we’ll be focusing.”

As well as video, Blackburn and the News Corp team will also be making the most of the data insights they collect. 

“The fact that we’re on the open web means that we have something special with our data products from an insights perspective, as well as a data and measurement perspective. 

“If you look at TikTok and Instagram reels, they’re in-and-out experiences, and measurement is made very difficult because of the way that Apple has approached privacy. Therefore, the same sort of measurement and tracking of outcomes are no longer possible on iOS. So we’re in quite a good spot because we’ve gone with an open web opportunity for our vertical video, and I think it’s going to absolutely take off.”

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Top Image: Paul Blackburn in Cannes

By Bethan Hockey, research director at The Growth D_Stillery

The food industry is experiencing a shifting landscape, driven by changing consumer behaviours and economic factors. The cost of living continues to rise and consumers are re-evaluating their consumption behaviours, the contents of their grocery baskets and their priorities. As consumers weigh up the value of their food purchases, brands need to find ways to safeguard their premium and protect their brand value.

The New Value Equation

The pandemic accelerated the desire for premium food experiences. Lockdowns and restrictions meant more time at home, elevating food to a more central role in daily life. Food offered a way to bring the home together and provide a sense of novelty and enjoyment. Today, cost of living has dealt a blow to household budgets, with two thirds of household grocery budgets being negatively impacted. This is forcing Aussies to reassess their food spending and redefine the value of what they deem to be their premium.

This re-evaluation brings both challenge and opportunity for food brands. Our recent research revealed that consumers are more focused on bargain hunting than brand loyalty when they are food shopping, with less than half of consumers (46%) saying they are loyal to the brands they already shop with. Despite this increased focus on price, Aussies are still willing to spend on their own personal premiums, and are finding ways to protect what they value most when it comes to food. Our recent Food D_Stilled report identified five core dimensions of consumer premium (health, exploration, socialisation, taste and convenience). These dimensions present opportunities for brands to stay competitive, demonstrate their relevance to target audience and ultimately avoid having to compete on price.

Positioning for Success: Leveraging Existing Strengths

As consumers are carefully weighing their options and making deliberate trade-offs, emphasising the unique value of your brand becomes paramount. In order to protect their premium, brands must first look to harness their existing strengths. Take a closer look at your brand’s unique value proposition, the functional and emotional benefits at your brand’s core, and where they intersect with these dimensions of premium. By aligning offerings with the dimensions that resonate most with target audiences, brands can create a strong emotional connection and meet consumers’ evolving needs. Highlighting the qualities that make your brand special, whether it’s nutrition, easy-to-prepare meal solutions or authentic cultural heritage, can signal relevance for key audiences.

For example, if your brand is renowned for its culinary craftsmanship or artisanal techniques, showcase the skill and attention to detail that goes into each product. Whether it’s handcrafted chocolates, artisanal bread, or small-batch sauces, emphasise the unique quality, flavours, textures, and complexity that set your brand apart. This can tap into the taste dimension of premium, appealing to those consumers who aren’t willing to compromise on quality ingredients and sensorial food experiences.

Leveraging the existing strengths of your brand and reinforcing the most relevant “premium” attributes can help brands to win the hearts, minds and stomachs of consumers, solidifying your place in consumers baskets.

Driving Innovation: Anticipating Consumer Desires

Companies that innovate during times of hardship often come out on top. Research from McKinsey & Co found that organisations that maintained their innovation focus through the 2009 financial crisis emerged stronger, outperforming the market average by more than 30%.

Innovation can play a pivotal role in how brands can protect their premium and stay ahead of the curve. Staying attuned to emerging and evolving consumer needs, anticipating their desires and providing new brand experiences can strengthen brand loyalty, attract new customers, and create differentiation in the market. Strive to be agile and adaptable, continuously seeking opportunities to enhance the premium experience and exceed customer expectations.

Convenience is a premium dimension highly valued by consumers and ripe for innovation, with two different elements available for brands.

• The first is Convenience 1.0: Ease and Speed. To tap into this aspect, consider developing innovative solutions that cater to time-strapped individuals. Meal prep solutions, such as pre-portioned ingredients or ready-to-cook meal kits, can offer convenience without compromising on quality or taste.

• The second is Convenience 2.0. This is about greater choice and flexibility without the effort. Here, think about innovations that offer customizable options, allowing consumers to personalise their meals or choose from a variety of flavours and ingredients to enhance the premium experience they desire.

Crafting Memorable Interactions

Finally, brands can further demonstrate their value to consumers and their personal premiums by enhancing the customer experience. Focus on creating memorable interactions that go beyond the product itself. Experiences that can create a sense of connection, delight, and differentiation, allow consumers to associate your brand with positive emotions and the premium experiences that they value most.

For consumers who prioritise the exploration dimension, giving them recommendations for pairing your products with complementary ingredients or suggest creative recipes and cooking techniques. Offer limited-edition or seasonal offerings to create a sense of exclusivity and excitement, enticing consumers to try something new and feed their curiosity.

Understanding the new value equation can help brands to navigate the evolving consumer landscape and unlock opportunity. By leveraging strengths, emphasising value, driving innovation, and creating memorable customer experiences, brands can safeguard their position.

The Food D_Stilled research provides further insights into the dimensions of premium that drive consumer food choices. By prioritising health, savouring taste, fostering socialisation, enhancing convenience, and nurturing exploration, you can meet consumer expectations and protect your brand premium.

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Top Image: Bethan Hockey 

By Tennille Burt, chief marketing officer, QMS

Two recent global award competitions, one clear universal message: out of home (OOH) has cemented its position as a vital part of successful omnichannel media strategies and campaigns.

The award winners from the recent World Out of Home Organisation’s (WOO) Global Congress and the outdoor category in the Cannes Lions were powerful examples of how OOH has become an integral piece in omnichannel campaign planning. Highly measurable results continue to prove the influence of OOH with consumers. For clients engaged in omnichannel strategies, OOH doesn’t just have a seat at the table: it is one of the table’s legs – perhaps the strongest one.

Presenting some of this year’s winners, Cannes outdoor jury chair Javier Campopiano from WPP’s Grey observed that outdoor “started as a static medium but is now the least static medium of them all… it is a very exciting category, almost limitless”.

With the increasing global adoption of digital OOH (DOOH) – now at 37.8% in Europe, 39.8% in APAC and 29.7% in North America according to WOO – the opportunities that OOH presents only increase as we push physical, social, creative and geographical boundaries with the medium. The winners at Cannes and the WOO Global Congress clearly demonstrate this point.

The Grand Prix winner for Outdoor at Cannes from British Airways included 512 different executions to bring to life the reasons people travel. The campaign centred on the common question travellers are frequently asked when they land in a new destination – “What is the purpose of your visit?” – but instead of ticking the standard boxes of “business” or “leisure”, consumers saw more meaningful and relatable answers for travel.

The answers were sometimes funny, sometimes moving, but consistently celebrated humanity in all its personal guises. This was an omnichannel strategy that incorporated TV, video on demand, cinema, radio, print, display, social but the thread linking each of these stories really unfolded using OOH.

An OOH photo exhibition was the core of the Gold Lion-winning “The Last Photo” suicide prevention campaign from ITV and the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), which shone a light on the heart-breaking reality that suicide doesn’t always look suicidal.

To launch, an installation of 50 smiling portraits was unveiled at London’s South Bank with photos of people living seemingly happy, care-free lives. Two days later, the true nature of the experience was revealed live on ITV’s This Morning: the portraits were, in fact, the last photos of people who lost their lives to suicide. The out of home exhibition was amplified in other ITV programs and across TV, cinema, print, digital and social and was a powerful reminder of the public influence and responsibility OOH has in connecting with our communities. It was OOH that creatively delivered the raw emotion with its in-market presence.

At the WOO Global Congress, the winner in the Creative Awards Digital category – the Japanese campaign “Take A Chance with McDonald’s” – showed how DOOH played a key role in an omnichannel strategy to drive young customers to order new McDonald’s menu items via their mobile.

McDonald’s developed “changing QR codes” that created unexpected encounters with menu items and were broadcast on digital out of home screens nationwide, dynamically adapting to real-time changes in location, climate, time, and other factors. When scanning the changing QR codes random menu recommendations were provided, and users could directly place orders through mobile ordering, then share to social for further amplification and engagement. The campaign drew participation from over two million people with measurable KPIs such as sales increasing by 112%, showing DOOH’s ability to work through all stages of the sales funnel.

Still at WOO, the Technical Innovation Award went to Subway in the UK, which worked with several partners to create the first-ever interactive shoppable 3D billboard. It was a borderless DOOH activation that turned one of the world’s largest digital billboards at Westfield Stratford City into a personal shopping moment where people could build their “dream subs” live on-screen. This execution is DOOH at its best, bringing together technology, personalised brand experience and virtual reality to reimagine a category for its audience.

These four winners and many others at Cannes and the WOO Global Congress were brilliant examples of how OOH in its various forms plays a pivotal role in delivering the greatest potential impact of a message. It has the assets and the ability to complement other players within the digital ecosystem and to ensure a message is clearly received, a story accurately told, and a campaign powerfully delivered.

Supercharged by advances in creativity, data and technology, OOH (particularly DOOH) has a new competitive advantage for brands that are fearlessly planning for the future.

As Campopiano put it so well, the potential for out of home and its clients is limitless.

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Top Image: Tennille Burt

By Michelle Lomas, chief strategy officer, Ampel

It’s that time of the year again when the audio industry stops everything to hear what the latest on the Infinite Dial 2023 Australia report by Edison Research says about how we are engaging with and adopting audio. The latest Infinite Dial 2023 Australian Report came out yesterday, and there are some surprising results, some not so surprising results, and plenty to love.

I’m no ChatGPT, so not only have I summarised the data, I can also share some insight into why it matters.  And for the time poor folks out there, I’ve saved you the hassle and pulled the key points I think you need to know today if you want to work with audio, or currently work in it.  

Before we start it’s important to know the Infinite Dial report is conducted on a sample size of 1,576 nationally, via interviews. So, you could say it’s not the most robust report around regarding listenership numbers. But what it might lack in numbers, it makes up for in spades by reporting on our listening behaviour and habits. For any audio and content strategists, the report is a gold mine for audio activity.

Australians Lead the Way in Audio Listenership

This was the report’s headline this year, and wowsers, they aren’t wrong. We love our audio. And as a country that loves to be the best at ‘stuff’, we nailed this one. 81% of Aussies are listening to online audio monthly, with 74% weekly. So, while other channels pivot and flounder, audio’s ability to adapt to listener demand is working.

This is a huge stat for a number of reasons, one obviously is the unrivalled opportunity to tap into the various forms of audio to reach Australian’s.

But the other one which excited me the most is the insight that we are really leaning into audio listening – in all its forms. We’ve made it a habit, something we do daily. Maybe it’s on our way to work, in the car or at the gym (yeah, those bros who do 10 deadlifts and then sit on their phone for 15 minutes are listening to a podcast). So, if we are tapped into ‘listening’, what about listening to the CEO’s annual letter in audio form on the way to work, or listening each morning to a new training module about DE&I? The opportunities are enormous.

Worth noting as well this listenership is universal across ages. Yep, the kids love a bit of radio too, and you’ll see a little later just how much I’m excited by this for podcasts.

Also worth a mention is that even with our podcasts, we love our catch-up radio, with 27% of Aussies using podcasts to catch up on their fave radio programs. Now personally, I could think of nothing worse than choosing to listen to Kyle & Jackie O in my spare time, but the masses have spoken – they love good banter.

YouTube is Massive for Podcast Listenership

Well, lookie here…there is a new player in town. You might say YouTube are a little late to the party though, considering that they only launched their podcast product a few months ago.

At Ampel, at the risk of sounding arrogant, we knew this. Some of our podcasts generate 50% or more incremental listens on YouTube than the other players combined. So, it was no surprise (to us) when this came out, but what did surprise us is how many people are watching the video. We always assumed that most were minimising the video and just listening to audio, but it seems there are some out there watching too. Probably the ones like my Dad who still maintains he doesn’t listen to podcasts but saw this ‘great bloke’ on YouTube the other day.

As a company that produces podcasts, these insights are so valuable. We had a lot of guesswork based on the data we could see, so having this now proven really reinforces our need for a stronger YouTube strategy for placement and promotion.

The Big Kids are Loving Podcasts

There was a great study by Spotify that came out last year which highlighted the importance of podcasts in Gen Z’s life. The results were quite astounding. Gen Z were leaning into podcasts when they had a problem, before they spoke to their friends and family. That’s right, when they had a problem that needed to be solved and they needed advice they were looking for the answer on (according to this report) Spotify. Wild.

So of course, we are seeing numbers that are astoundingly clear and should be a hint to any good marketer or media buyer – maybe you need to look a little more closely at podcasts. With 70% of this audience listening to podcasts a month and 54% weekly, seems like a fair statement to me. For those lamenting the same old song – why are Gen Z so hard to reach? They are so fickle! Well, here it is, they aren’t. You just might not be looking in the right places.

Podcast Listening is Up, But We Are Listening A Little Less

Is that contradictory? Sort of but not really.

The good news is that our love affair with podcasts continues to grow. Yeah, we aren’t seeing the explosive growth that we did during Covid, but that type of perfect storm will (hopefully) not be repeated in this lifetime. What is positive is the continued positive trajectory of listenership.

What’s changed, though is that we are listening slightly less a week. Last Infinite Dial report saw us listening to six episodes a week on average; now it’s five. Doesn’t seem a huge jump, but for the strategist in me this is part of a bigger prediction I have; as the market starts to mature and the hype downs down, listeners will be more discerning about what they listen to and why. Podcast listenership will shift from listening to the first thing on their feed to thoughtful decisions around the type of content they want to hear – and increasingly, that will include more utility-based content in health, business, education etc.

For the brand or creator looking at this Infinite Dial data and going ‘why does it matter to me’? Well, it matters because your competition for attention just increased, so you need to create something people want to listen to. Don’t just ‘dive in’. Be thoughtful, know your audience, and make sure you are building something purpose-built for their needs. Maybe you need a strategy? I know a podcast strategist who might be free.

Worth noting at Ampel we create sonic branding, podcasts, radio and podcast ads, so my main takeaways might differ from yours as I seek new insights to connect with audiences and drive impact. I’m sure the big audio networks have a lot more to say on the audience sizes, but for me – well I love that our audience is embracing audio, and would love to see more brands do the same.

See Also: Ampel launches brand refresh, supported by AI-driven content production technology

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Top Image: Michelle Lomas

Free TV has called for a measured response to the recommendations of the House Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs in their inquiry into online gambling, and warned that gambling advertising bans will undermine the sustainability of commercial television services.

Australians spend the most in the world, per capita, on legal forms of gambling, losing $25 billion every year. Australians also lose the most money to online gambling, per capita, in the world.

On Wednesday, the Albanese Labor Government received the final report of the inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.

The Government said that it welcomes the report and will now consider the Committee’s 31 recommendations.

A statement from Bridget Fair, Free TV CEO, responding to the Committee’s gambling ad ban recommendations can be seen below:

Bridget Fair

“The Committee’s proposed ban is based on a fundamentally flawed premise that the advertising market is some kind of magic pudding. But reductions in advertising revenue in the current economic and competitive environment can only result in less funding for Australian content.

“While we appreciate that there are concerns in the community regarding the volume of gambling ads, kneejerk moves to implement outright bans will ultimately hurt viewers and the television services they love.

“These services are available to every Australian no matter where they live or how much they earn and they are only possible because of advertising revenue. 

“Commercial television spends more than $1.5 billion on Australian content every year, providing Australian audiences with more than 25,000 hours of free local trusted news, Australian drama and entertainment, vital coverage of national emergencies and live and free sport year in, year out. 

“Many of the sports broadcasting deals have been agreed to beyond the three year phase out period for advertising. 

“The Government has quite rightly said that it will take its time to consider the committee’s report before responding. Now is the time for a considered response to this important issue.

“Our industry is ready to work constructively with the Government on measures that would reduce the amount of gambling advertising on television and other platforms, while ensuring that the industry can continue to deliver high quality content to all Australians.

“Measures like frequency caps would be a better and more targeted approach to respond to any community concern around volume of advertising.

“This would build on the current restrictions on gambling advertising, including the existing ban on gambling advertising in live sport before 8.30pm and strict limits in sport after that time.

“Any further restrictions on gambling advertising must be offset by reductions in the regulatory burdens on commercial broadcasters. In particular, removing spectrum fees which are completely out-of-step with other countries that have already abolished such fees decades ago.”

The Australian commercial radio industry has joined the television industry in expressing surrounding recommendations outlined in the final report of the House Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs into online gambling. Specifically, the industry is concerned that radio has been unfairly treated. 

On Wednesday, the Albanese Labor Government received the final report of the inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.

The Government said that it welcomes the report and will now consider the Committee’s 31 recommendations.

Industry body Commercial Radio and Audio, which represents 260 radio broadcasters across Australia, said broadcasters supported the need for action to reduce the harms from gambling, but measures needed to be applied consistently and fairly.

“We question why radio has been singled out for a ban on gambling ads during our peak listening times of 8.30-9.00 am and 3.30-4pm in the first phase when we are not a primary player in gambling advertising and radio has never been held up as one of the main problem areas,” CRA CEO Ford Ennals said.

“The important breakfast and drive time sessions are critical to radio stations’ revenue.  Children do not drive and when they are in the car, they have parental or adult supervision.

“Measures that are introduced must be balanced against the impact of the loss of revenue on the sustainability of local radio services and the quality of news and local content services stations are able to provide.  Radio revenues are being hit by the economic downturn and if alternative revenue sources existed we would already be tapping into those.

“We are committed to working constructively with the Government to support the objectives of reducing harms from gambling ads whilst ensuring commercial radio can continue to provide the live news, information and entertainment services that Australians depend on.” 

–

Top Image: Ford Ennals

IAB Australia has called for a considered response to the online gambling recommendations issued on Wednesday by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.

Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia said “We recognise there is community concern in relation to ‘saturation’ gambling advertising which needs to be addressed and we are willing to work constructively with the Government to make that happen. However, we are concerned that the Committee’s recommendation to impose an outright ban on all advertising is not a proportionate response.

“There are a range of tools available to manage the delivery of ads online and we would urge the Government to give further thought to how these can best be utilised to reduce the volume of gambling advertising.

“In the current economic climate, any advertising restrictions will affect the industry’s ability to support the delivery of freely available content and services online.  Outright bans will have a significant negative impact across the market.  

“We are pleased that the Government has indicated it will take time to consider the committee’s Report before responding.  We look forward to working with Government to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved in a sustainable way,” Le Roy concluded.

The IAB’s comments come after similar concerns were raised by both Free TV and the CRA.

“The Committee’s proposed ban is based on a fundamentally flawed premise that the advertising market is some kind of magic pudding. But reductions in advertising revenue in the current economic and competitive environment can only result in less funding for Australian content,” said Bridget Fair, Free TV CEO.

CRA CEO Ford Ennals said “We question why radio has been singled out for a ban on gambling ads during our peak listening times of 8.30-9.00 am and 3.30-4pm in the first phase when we are not a primary player in gambling advertising and radio has never been held up as one of the main problem areas.”

The Foxtel Group and OzTAM have announced that Kayo Sports viewing will now be reported in OzTAM’s Video Player Measurement (VPM) service. The move will deliver a comprehensive picture of the Foxtel Group’s streaming sporting audiences.

OzTAM CEO Doug Peiffer said: “Kayo Sports’ progressive integration with VPM is a great step forward for the Foxtel Group and OzTAM, and brings us one step closer to Kayo Sports being included in the VOZ Total TV database.

“This also supports OzTAM’s efforts to provide the most comprehensive and accurate audience estimates possible for the industry.”

See Also: OzTAM CEO Doug Peiffer to step down after more than 12 years

CEO of Foxtel Media Mark Frain said: “There has been a huge shift in the way audiences watch sport and entertainment content in recent years. This is a major step forward to have Kayo Sports’ OzTAM estimates sit alongside their reporting of viewership of our linear Foxtel subscription TV service as 66% of our more than 4.6 million subscribers are now streaming customers.

“Since launching in 2018 Kayo Sports has grown rapidly to more than 1.3 million subscribers, driven through the Foxtel Group’s long-term rights to Australia’s most popular and premium sports, and the magic of our Fox Sports coverage. Kayo Sports delivers fans an Olympics-size choice in sports every weekend and supports over 300 live events each week.

“The growth in Kayo Sports subscribers is continuing, up 10% year-on-year, which reflects the breadth of choice for sports fans and the return of our popular winter sports, including the AFL, NRL, Supercars, F1 and Netball.

“After a year of working closely with OzTAM, it is good news that Kayo Sports will now be integrated with OzTAM’s VPM collection service, providing a true picture of the strong growth we have seen in our digital subscribers and viewership across all our platforms.

“A robust audience measurement system is a critical tenet of television advertising – it is a welcome development that OzTAM is now fully capturing our growing digital sports audiences.”

OzTAM’s VPM service will include Kayo Sports from the start of Q2 2023, and OzTAM is working with the Foxtel Group to include Kayo Sports in the VPM reports on OzTAM’s website.

Going forward, viewing to Foxtel Group internet-delivered services in non-set-top box homes (i.e., those homes that receive Foxtel services only via internet) will now be reported exclusively in the OzTAM VPM reporting service.

–

Top Image: Doug Peiffer

Advertising Week APAC has revealed its four stages and six tracks that are at the heart of the 2023 event, held at Sydney’s Luna Park this 1-2 August.

The stages are:
• Great Minds
• The Innovaiton Factory
• The Tech Lab
• The Creative Showcase.

According to the conference, “Each of our four stages embodies a crucial aspect of our industry, ranging from the latest technological advancements featured on the Tech Lab, discussions surrounding creativity at the Creative Showcase and innovative ideas explored on the Innovation Factory Stage. And, of course, our renowned Great Minds Stage hosts the most influential figures in Advertising and Entertainment, delving into popular culture and beyond.”

The six tracks are:
• Ideas and Innovation
• TV and Media
• AdTech and Automation
• Trends and Insights
• Creative Concepts
• Storytelling and Entertainment 

The conference says: “Each stage offers a diverse range of daily changing tracks, each honing in on a specific topic to help guide your experience through the program.”

Last week, AdWeek APAC announced that William Shatner will be beaming up to the AWAPAC23 stage via a life size hologram.

See Also: Beam me in, Scotty: William Shatner to speak at Advertising Week via life size hologram

As the event’s keynote speaker, the renowned actor, director, and philanthropist, William Shatner is famously known for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek.

Shatner will discuss the ever-evolving role of technology in advertising, from the impact of social media to the innovative use of hologram technology – such as the technology being used live on stage to produce his appearance as a life size hologram.

Shatner joins an ever growing lineup of speakers – including Mediaweek’s Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham, founder of The Nest Consultancy. Also taking to the stage this year will be speakers such as Matty Johns, rugby league commentator and former NRL player, Susan Coghill, CMO of Tourism Australia, Jordi Davieson, musicians San Cisco, and Sunita Gloster, founder of Gloster Advisory.

The Betoota Advocate Presents Editors-at-large Errol Parker (Charles Single) and Clancy Overell (Archer Hamilton) could be looking at a second season of their Paramount+ series.

During an interview with Mediaweek and Chattr’s The Entertainment Hotline podcast, the co-presenters revealed that the streaming service had “all but confirmed” another instalment of the show which is set to cover the Cronulla Riots during the June 28 episode.

“Paramount+ have all but confirmed that there will be a second season,” Overell admitted, before adding what it is they would do if given the opportunity.

“I think we might push it out a bit more,” he said. “Obviously this season tells a lot of wild stories from Queensland and the 1980s and early 2000s Sydney. I reckon we could have a lot of fun in the backcountry of Tasmania.

“I reckon there are a lot of stories that haven’t been told in Western Australia. They sit there, they get away with a lot. You know what I mean? Who the hell knows what’s happened in Western Australia over the years.”

Clancy Overell (Archer Hamilton) and Errol Parker (Charles Single). Paramount+

How The Betoota Advocate stories are sense checked

So far, the series has covered the rise and fall of Hillsong, the Super League War and now the Riots, where the co-hosts take us through a day in 2005 when Cronulla made international headlines and even put Australia on the don’t travel to list.

Given that the topics in the Paramount+ Original Series and on their highly popular Instagram, The Betoota Advocate, are often controversial, both Parker and Overell admit that lawyers are heavily involved.

“Legally speaking, we’ve got lawyers who will tell us what is illegal and what will result in people getting sued,” Overell said while adding that as far as tastefulness goes, they “bounce that off each other.” 

“You need a diverse group of people to do that with, you can’t just have a bunch of blokes saying, ‘I think everyone will find that funny’. You should ask around a little bit, which is what we do.”

What do the fans say about The Betoota Advocate?

While some posts, in particular, can often feel very close to home, the guys say that their aim is “never to hurt people or be needlessly cruel to someone.”

In fact, Parker admitted that they only ever get straight positive or negative reviews of the content they’ve produced.

“Their responses are usually, ‘good work’ or ‘this is rubbish’. It’s either Ying or Yang,” he said.

Even though it’s hard to comprehend otherwise, Overell said that they’re not “aiming to narrate people’s lives”, even if it can feel that way.

“What that tells us when people have that response is, well, your life is very similar to the people we write about, or indeed ourselves.”

Listen to the full interview with The Betoota Advocate Presents on The Entertainment Hotline podcast.

Stream The Betoota Advocate Presents on Paramount+ now.

Spark Foundry Australia has announced the appointment of Caroline Hugall as the agency’s chief strategy officer.

Hugall joins Spark Foundry with close to 20 years’ experience working in senior leadership roles both client-side and in agencies across Australia, the UK, and the USA. Most recently, she worked as group brand strategy director for IAG and before that was senior planner for global brand strategy at Mondelēz International. 

Effective immediately, Hugall will be responsible for driving strategic direction for all clients as well as shaping the vision and product of Spark Foundry’s strategy team. She will be tasked with applying strategic thinking to develop and deliver original go-to-market strategies and ideas that benefit the agency’s client business, exhibit its capabilities, and inspire its team.

Spark Foundry CEO, Imogen Hewitt, said: “Caroline makes work better by simply being in the room. Her experience is vast and varied, from building the strategy discipline in agencies to driving award-winning work in her client-side roles. 

“Our leadership team and our incredible strategists are beyond excited to welcome Caroline. We know we are going to be working alongside the best of craft champions, who also happens to be a warm and wonderful human being.”   

On her appointment, Hugall said: “When you encounter likeminded individuals and agency cultures that share your high standard for quality work and your passion for strategy which draws on culture, connections and creativity, you follow them closely.  

“I’ve held Imogen and the team at Spark Foundry in high regard for many years, so the opportunity to join the crew and contribute to their future growth and success is incredibly exciting.”

See Also: Publicis Groupe: Investment heads discuss championing women and continuing progress in the industry

Bastion’s Cross-Cultural Insights team has launched Australia’s first large-scale, independent, in-language research panel, Golden Voice Community, designed to bridge the gap in understanding between culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities and the wider community. 

The team works within Bastion Insights and focuses on social, cultural and commercial research and business consulting, targeting the CALD communities residing in Australia, to understand the complexities first-generation migrants’ life and experience in Australia.   

The Golden Voice Community for CALD was developed to close the research and cultural understanding divide between Australia’s multicultural communities and brands, businesses, and government. 

The one-of-a-kind research community currently focuses on discerning and sharing the cultural nuances and views of two of the largest CALD diasporas in Australia – Southern Asian and Chinese.  

The highly targeted community is built on direct and ongoing community engagement, with a focus on building trusted relationships before engaging in research.  

Bastion Cross-Cultural Insights speaks to thousands of CALD Australians within its Golden Voice Community every month. It plays an active role within each community, educating members on research, and the importance of sharing their voices. 

Bastion Insights’ general manager of cross-cultural insights, Isabel Zhang said they are proud to have the first and only community in Australia to conduct such large-scale CALD quantitative research.  

“Our extensive experience of seven years entails close collaboration with CALD communities, engaging with them directly and consistently. This ongoing engagement has earned us the trust of these communities from grassroots levels to higher tiers, resulting in numerous valuable partnerships, including independent esteemed organisations such as VMC (Victorian Multicultural Commission) and several long-term collaborations with federal, state government organisations and top commercial brands. Our approach is truly integrated, combining research and insights to develop effective strategies for communication, marketing, and policymaking,” Zhang said.   

“As diverse, complex, costly, and hard to reach as the CALD community in Australia is, they want and need their voice to be heard. Like all Australians, they have their views and cultural nuances that they want the wider community, businesses, and government to better understand.” 

See Also: Steven Howlett appointed as managing director of Bastion Insights

News Corp Australia will unveil two new property magazines this weekend in the Saturday editions of The Courier-Mail (QLD) and The Advertiser (SA).

Real estate development news will have a new home in Queensland as The Courier-Mail launches Developing Queensland, featuring the latest developments in the state.

Helping South Australians build their dream homes will be The Advertiser’s New Homes, featuring the latest on new home builds and house and land packages.

Both will be flip cover magazines with the realestate liftout in each state.

To meet reader and industry demand, Developing Queensland will cover the latest developer news, project profiles, property listings, data and insights. It will feature residential and developer news, specialising in the Brisbane and South East Queensland markets, as well as Retirement Living.

The Courier-Mail’s weekend editor Anna Caldwell said: “We’re excited to launch Developing Queensland in our Saturday realestate magazine at a time when readers and industry stakeholders are so invested in the future of our city and state.

“As Brisbane and Queensland grow exponentially, and preparations for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games ramp up, development is a hot topic. 

“Developing Queensland will cover the big projects, industry news and trends every Saturday. It is a great addition to our daily property and development news coverage, as well as our live Saturday auction blogs, across our digital and print platforms.” 

New Homes will be the one-stop destination for anyone in the property market in South Australia. 

The Advertiser’s weekend editor Paul Ashenden said: “The name says it all. Our New Homes magazine is just that, content dedicated to readers looking at building their great Australian dream. 

“At its foundation will be the latest display homes on offer in South Australia and where to find them, along with helpful advice on the building process. It provides a welcoming destination for our readers for all the latest building news and trends, tips and tricks to plan, build and settle into their new home.” 

Developing Queensland and New Homes both launch on Saturday 1 July.

The podcast market has lost a major player in the form of Stitcher, which has announced that it will be shutting down. The app’s last day will be August 29th.

“SiriusXM, the owner of Stitcher, is focused on incorporating podcasts into its flagship SiriusXM subscription business. Subscribers can listen to podcasts within the SiriusXM app and will see an all-new listening experience later this year. “All podcasts on Stitcher can also be found anywhere else podcasts are distributed,” the farewell notice reads. 

The note also points out that the company “expects to continue to operate our Stitcher Studios and Earwolf networks.”

“Thank you for giving us the opportunity over the last decade to create the best possible podcast listening experience!” the official Stitcher account Tweeted.

Stitcher’s slate of original podcasts include LeVar Burton Reads and The Sporkful; top-ranked comedy podcast network Earwolf’s How Did This Get Made and Office Ladies; award-winning documentary network Witness Docs’ All-American, and Unfinished; along with Black lifestyle and culture network More Sauce’s New Rory and Mal and Reality with the King.

The creators and hosts who make exclusive podcasts for the company through Stitcher Premium have been told that the company “will determine availability and accessibility of their shows,” according to the company’s website. For fans, the site suggests that “To stay updated on the availability of their content, we recommend following the hosts/creators on social media or subscribing to their newsletters.”

In October last year, SCA announced its agreement with AdsWizz to exclusively represent the ad inventory of select Stitcher and SiriusXM podcasts in Australia through SCA’s LiSTNR app and other podcast listening platforms.

See Also: SCA announces AdsWizz agreement across Stitcher and SiriusXM podcasts in Australia

In 2022 Triton Digital reported that Stitcher was the USA’s top sales network for the year, with 56.8 million average weekly downloads. 

A significant part of the Triple J social media presence has shut down, with Triple J Plays tweeting its last tweet.

“After more than a million tweets sharing the tracks + artists we play, we have to say bye to @triplejplays,” the account posted on Wednesday.

“This is unfortunately due to Twitter moving to a paid model for automated services. To see what we’re playing, head to the triple j app or site.”

The dedicated Twitter account functioned as real-time tracker of all the songs the public broadcaster station played, complete with a time stamp so people were able to find out exactly which song they had been vibing to whilst in the car.

Whilst Triple J Plays has officially announced its closure, it appears to have been disconnected for a while, with the last song it listed – Alex Lahey’s Good Time – being posted on June 24. 

On Wednesday’s Hobba and Hing drive show, the pair gave a glimpse into what has been going on behind the scenes 

“At the start of every show you, check it to make sure it’s working,” said Lewis Hobba on air.

“Every day this week you’ve [co-host Michael Hing] gone ‘Triple J Plays isn’t working.’ the implication of that being that I haven’t pressed the button. Every time I’ve said ‘well, I’ve pressed the button, I’ve done everything I could possibly do to make that work’, I could tell there was something in your eyes that said ‘I don’t believe you, you didn’t press the button and you’re doing it now,’ but now we’ve found out that I was right the whole time!”

“Basically, what happened is Twitter wants to charge for the service and the ABC I either can’t afford it or isn’t going to pay for it,” continued Hing. “I think they probably could, but I actually am with them on this. I don’t think you want to be giving any more money to that to that platform.”

See Also: Triple J celebrates 20 years of Like A Version with a Hottest 100 countdown

Triple M microphones across the country will stay silent from 6am to 6pm on Monday, July 3 for the station’s annual No Talk Day.

The movement is supported by Beyond Blue and is held to encourage listeners and friends to have a courageous conversation about men’s mental health and suicide. On the day, announcers will be replaced by messages encouraging listeners to check-in on their mental health.

In the lead up to Triple M’s fifth annual No Talk Day, this week from 6pm -7pm all announcers on the station will be replaced by announcements encouraging mental health awareness.

Shaun Gough, Triple M Melbourne content manager and founding No Talk Day advocate said: “Triple M’s No Talk Day is when we ask listeners across the country to ‘check-in’ on their own mental health or someone they care about and think about having a potentially life-saving conversation if that’s what’s needed; to tell someone their story, or genuinely ask a mate how they’re travelling. These are conversations that matter, they can save lives.”

The station has also released a long-form mental health discussion called The Courageous Talk Roundtable which features prominent figures who have been affected by mental health issues. Chelsea Frawley, mental health advocate and daughter of AFL great Danny “Spud” Frawley who was battling depression when he died, First Nations performer Mitch Tambo, clinical psychologist and anxiety specialist, Dr Jodie Lowinger, and SCA transgender employee Andrea Cole who has worked at Triple M for more than 35 years all discuss their experiences in the poignant discussion.

The first No Talk Day was launched in 2019, and throughout the years the station has enlisted the help of Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen, Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Daniel Johns, Midnight Oil, Dave Gleeson, The Killers, John Butler, Jimmy Barnes, and Rob Thomas to convey their message.

To get advice on how to start a conversation for yourself or with someone you’re worried about or for more information on depression and anxiety, please visit: www.beyondblue.org.au 

Sports Entertainment Network has issued a statement about AFL legend Matthew Rendell. Rendell died after suffering a heart attack on Sunday at age 64.

Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) CEO Craig Hutchison said: “Matt was so loved in footy circles – his passion for the game, be it as player or recruiter, was so infectious. He lit up the room with his big personality and great character.

“Matt put his heart into AFL football and built friendships right across the code and broader media world too.

“Our team at SEN are shattered by the news and our hearts go out to the Rendell family and his many mates.”

Craig Hutchison

The former Fitzroy AFL champion was a regular fixture on SEN, and played a crucial role in the evolution of AFL Trade Radio, with his expert insights and analysis.

SEN rebranded from Sports Entertainment Network from Crocmedia in 2020. The network recently announced that Former Australian Test Captain Tim Paine will head up a new weekday breakfast program on SEN Tassie 1629am alongside esteemed Tasmanian journalist Brent Costelloe.

The unnamed show will air Monday and Friday from 6am – 8am and both hosts will provide insights and analysis of all the latest Tasmanian sporting news.

Paine said: “It’s terrific to see SEN invest in promoting Tasmanian sporting content, and I couldn’t be more excited to be back on the airwaves.

“I’m looking forward to working alongside Brent, who is undoubtedly one of the best in the business regarding all things sport in Tassie. I can’t wait to analyse and discuss all the latest sporting news, and connect with the dedicated SEN audience.”

In addition to the new breakfast show, sports presenter David Lithgow will join former Australian and Tasmanian state cricketer Brett Geeves to present Sports Entertainment Network’s Saturdays in Tassie program. The program will take a deep dive into Tasmanian sport each week from 8am – 10am.

Acast has signed the podcast Basically Besties which is hosted by mother-daughter duo Kat and Latisha Clark.

Kat and Latisha Clark only launched the podcast in October 2022, and it’s already generated enormous hype with 80,000 weekly Australian listens, as well as over 4 million downloads. The duo’s profiles have grown rapidly since appearing on the current season of Nine’s reality TV show Parental Guidance.

Both Kat and Latisha Clark had significant followings on social media before appearing on Parental Guidance. Kat has over 4.5 million followers on TikTok and was named 2022 TikTok Creator of the Year while Latisha has over 1.8 million. The mother-daughter pair recently completed their first Australian live Basically Besties podcast tour. 

Basically Besties was created with production and talent partner Amplify and the new deal sees Acast provide hosting, distribution and monetisation for the podcast as part of the Acast Creator Network

Kat Clark said: “There have been so many ‘pinch me’ moments over the past year, and I could never have imagined that so many people would engage closely with the content that Tish (Latisha) and I produce. From the beginning it’s been about making content and telling stories that are deeply personal, and we’ve had so much great feedback from listeners who have been able to relate to our stories and experiences. Since we launched, the podcast has grown so quickly, and we’re really looking forward to working with Acast during the next phase of our journey.”

Acast content director for Australia & New Zealand, Guy Scott-Wilson, said: “At Acast we believe strongly in empowering independent creators to succeed on their own terms, and we’re so pleased to welcome Kat and Latisha to the Acast Creator Network. Kat and Latisha have built a hugely impressive following of a traditionally hard-to-reach Gen Z audience, and we look forward to helping with the tools to take Basically Besties to even higher heights in the future”

Amplify creative director, Michelle Melky, said: “Basically Besties is already providing a gateway to podcasting for a young audience, and Amplify is aligned closely with Acast in the shared belief of the power of the creator economy. We’re confident the extremely talented Kat and Latish Clark will be the next Acast podcasters to shine!”

• ABC’s Utopia once again cracks 1 million in Total TV
• 792,000 tune in for Day 1, Test 2 of The Ashes on Nine

Total TV Ratings, June 21

3,206,000 tuned in for QLD’s stellar victory over the NSW Blues in the State of Origin II, finishing 32 – 6, lifting 22%. 1,611,000 also watched the State of Origin II Pre-Match, lifting 17% and 1,028,000 viewed the Post-Match, up 21%.

1,049,000 watched ABC’s Utopia as the government stalled on an election promise of the NBA moving to independent status, lifting 63%.

944,000 viewed Seven’s Home and Away where Mercedes got under Bree’s skin, while Cash threw himself into work, up 25%.

668,000 tuned in for 10’s MasterChef Australia as the contestants arrived at The Temple of Boom, an evocative reimaging of the ancient Greek Acropolis in Victoria for a Service Challenge, lifting 30%.

Overnight TV Ratings, June 28

Primetime News
Seven News 912,000 (6:00pm) / 860,000 (6:30pm)
Nine News 832,000 (6:00pm) / 806,000 (6:30pm)
ABC News 594,000
10 News First 241,000 (5:00pm)/ 167,000 (6:00pm)
SBS World News 149,000 (6:30pm)/ 120,000 (7:00pm)

Daily Current Affairs
A Current Affair 670,000
7.30 481,000
The Project 178,000 6:30pm / 258,000 7pm

Breakfast TV
Sunrise 205,000
Today 180,000
News Breakfast 130,000

Nine won Wednesday night with a primary share of 30.3% and a network share of 37.9%. 7mate has won multi channels with a 2.7% share.

Nine’s A Current Affair (670,000) spoke with a man who craned a $3 million sportscar into his $39 million penthouse apartment and the program was also granted exclusive access inside Operation Trinity. This Victorian Police taskforce is cracking down on underaged crooks breaking into family homes and stealing cars. Then, 792,000 watched Session One, Day One of Test Two, The Ashes live from Lord’s, London. 509,000 tuned in for the Pre-Match and 485,000 watched Lunch with 379,000 watching Session Two. At the end of the first day, Australia scored 339/5 (83) with England yet to bat. 

465,000 began their evening in Summer Bay with Seven’s Home and Away where the fictitious band Lyrik went into the recording studio, Mercedes made her move and Tane was not himself before, 343,000 stayed on for Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly. Graeme had some advice for Debbie, owner of Alfie, an agoraphobic Sprocker so terrified of the outside world that he hasn’t been for a walk in two-and-a-half years! Then, 231,000 stayed on for Front Bar.

481,000 watched ABC’s 7.30 explore the Queensland Government’s pumped hydro scheme and also looked at a Victorian town that is dealing with the fallout of a fatal joyride where four young people were killed. Sarah Ferguson also interviewed Idris Elba. 590,000 then watched Utopia where Jim upped security measures while trying to sway the outcome of tenders for an international partnership, before 532,000 watched Gruen.

On 10, The Project (178,000 6:30pm / 258,000 7pm) spoke to a Taylor Swift superfan after millions of Swifties joined the queue to try and secure tickets to see her Aussie Eras tour next year plus Georgie Tunny interviewed singer and TV personality Kelly Clarkson about her new single Red Flag Collector. MasterChef Australia then followed as the top six were divided into three teams of two. The pairs had to pick ingredients from the beautiful farm that supplies produce to the two-hatted restaurant, O.MY before having a 15-minute briefing with chef Blayne Bertoncello and cooking their course for 16 diners and Judges Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo. 460,000 tuned in.

See Also: MasterChef Recap Episode 38: O(h) my! The final six compete in a fresh produce Service Challenge

The highest rating non-news show on SBS was Costco: Is it really worth it? with 144,000 tuning in to see a look at the workings of the membership-only retailer, examining if its own-brand products are really premium ones in disguise, and putting them to the test.